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The Premiere Site For Celebrity Plastic Surgery By A Real Plastic Surgeon

I'm a Michigan-based Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has been featured on Dr. 90210. The info here is my opinion alone and should not be taken as fact or as medical advice. I've not treated any of the celebrities presented here.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Cityrag.com has a photo collage of celebrity plastic surgery in 2008. Many of these photos have been shown on this very blog, but a few of them are new to me. Which is the scariest? I would have to give my vote to Carrot Top. Click here for the site.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Here are #4-#1 of Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009.

#4: Nonsurgical Liposuction Techniques Run Rampant... As Do Disappointing Results. One of the hottest procedures today is nonsurgical liposuction. Cosmetic practices throughout the country are advertising fat reduction via injections (mesotherapy and Lipodissolve), external lasers, external ultrasound, and even by freezing the fat (called cryolipolysis). While these techniques sound intriguing, none have actually been proven to safely work...yet. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is currently conducting an FDA-approved study on Lipodissolve, with the initial results due in the near future. While the only proven way to safely and effectively remove fat is via liposuction, 2009 may bring considerable advances to some of these, so far, unproven modalities.

#3: Eyelash Enhancing Medication "Latisse" Hits Big in a Blink. Recently an FDA advisory panel recommended approval for this eyelash stimulating medication from Allergan, the makers of Botox. Peak sales are estimated to reach $500 million, as this treatment will be the only one of its kind. I expect Allergan will see huge profits from this topical medication, as will the physicians that dispense it. And people will walk around with Tammy Faye Baker eyes...

#2: Stem Cells are the Future in the U.S., but the Present in Other Countries. Stem cells are currently all the rage in potentially curing cancers, developmental abnormalities, and other medical problems... but are they the future for plastic surgery as well? Actually, stem cells are currently being used by some pioneering (and some reckless) surgeons outside the U.S. Dr. Vincent Giampapa introduced a stem cell facelift in France back in October and a handful of surgeons are performing breast enhancement with stem cells in Japan and Europe. So will we see stem cells being used by plastic surgeons in the U.S. in 2009? Not likely. The FDA is cautious with allowing procedures like these to be performed here in the States, and with good reason. Scientists need to prove that the use of stem cells for indications like these is safe and effective before allowing patients to undergo it. Until then, Americans will need to travel abroad for these extremely controversial treatments.

And finally we reach...#1: Botox-Competitor Reloxin will act as an Economic Bailout for Millions of Botox Users in 2009. FDA approval for Medicis's cosmetic botulinum toxin Reloxin is expected sometime in the new year. This may prove to be a relief to patients and plastic surgeons who have been forced to buy Botox at increasing prices each year. I currently charge my patients $650 for Botox injections to three areas, and the price of the Botox product itself accounts for at least half of that charge. Reloxin will be the first legitimate Botox competitor to challenge Allergan's monopoly on this market, and hopefully bring prices down for the most popular cosmetic treatment in the U.S. It can end up being an economic bailout for the millions of people who undergo cosmetic botulinum toxin treatments several times a year.

So there you have it! Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009. I'm interested to hear if you think I missed anything! (And don't comment that the plastic surgery market will suffer due to the economy. This is not a prediction, but an expectation...)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend! I have looked into my crystal ball and compiled my list of Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009. Here are #9-#5:

9. Plastic Surgery Vacations will become more and more popular. As the nation undergoes a dire economic recession, greater and greater numbers of people will pack their sunblock, passports, and ice packs as they combine plastic surgery and vacations. Americans will travel to Mexico, Brazil, and even India in an attempt to save money and look better. This trend will unfortunately bring about an unprecedented number of disturbing complications, as people bring their botched results back to the U.S. for American plastic surgeons to treat. The lucky ones will come back looking both rested AND younger.

7. Sculptra will gain FDA approval as a liquid facelift for the general population.Sculptra is currently only FDA-approved for treatment of HIV-associated facial wasting. Sculptra has been used in Europe for many years under the name Newfill, and is the only injectable filler that can produce generalized volume replacement in the face without excessive cost. With the realization that facial volume loss is an integral component of the aging process, this treatment may take center stage in the fight against facial gauntness.

6. 2009 will bring with it a plethora of new extreme, bizarre, and unusual plastic surgeries. 2008 brought us such plastic surgery oddities as cosmetic leg lengthening, the G Shot, the Boob Jab, and the Acupuncture Facelift. I expect fringe medical practitioners to do the same in 2009. Can we expect to see actual rib removal to thin the body, removal of the omentum (fat around the intestines) to decrease a protuberant tummy, or tummy tucks performed at the time of C-sections? Time will tell.

5. Will Gummy Bear Implants Boost Busts in 2009? In November 2006 the FDA lifted the ban on silicone gel implants... at least the fourth generation ones. Since then plastic surgeons and patients in the know have been waiting for FDA approval of the form-stable, "gummy bear" breast implants. These are the firm, textured, tear-drop shaped implants that are made to retain their shape and not conform to the shape of surrounding tissues. They are already in widespread use throughout many other countries in the world. Will the FDA approve these implants for general cosmetic use in 2009? Thousands of plastic surgeons and patients hope so.

Tomorrow I will post the rest of Dr. Youn's Top 9 Plastic Surgery Predictions for 2009. Stay tuned! Same bat time... same bat url.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

I hope you are all having a nice Christmas. I took a break from plastic surgery and other projects today to spend time with family and watch an excellent movie called Slumdog Millionaire. I highly recommend it.

I wish you all the peace and hope brought by a small baby over two thousand years ago in the town of Bethlehem. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Here are some quick links for you to check out while I prepare my next post. Check them out for your celebrity plastic surgery fix.

1. There is an amusing site called Nicole Kidman's Forehead. Can you believe someone started a blog focused only on her forehead? Click here to check it out.

2. Socialite Life has a photo gallery of prominent celebrities who have had (mostly bad) plastic surgery. There are some regulars here (Lara Flynn Boyle, Kenny Rogers) but also some unexpected ones (Calista Flockhart, Ray Liotta). Click here to check it out.

3. The first face transplant in the United States has been performed at Cleveland Clinic. 80% of her face has been replaced by the face of a cadaver. Can you imagine what it would be like to look into the mirror and see someone else's face? Click here for the article from CNN.com.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

There are more and more articles appearing regarding the state of plastic surgery in today's economy. An excellent article by New York Times writer Natasha Singer called Putting Vanity (and Botox) on Holdfinds that people are re-evaluating their priorities and spending less on plastic surgery today. One estimate finds that business is down 30-40 percent in Orange County, one of the biggest markets for plastic surgery in the country. In addition, many people are foregoing the more expensive surgical procedures and substituting less expensive injectable procedures as a way to stall aging until the economy improves, 401K's recover, and people feel more comfortable with larger purchases.

Here in Metro Detroit, we have all breathed a sigh of relief as President Bush proposed a $14 billion loan to bail out the auto industry. While times here are very tough, the collapse of even one of the Big 3 U.S. automakers would have been absolutely devastating, with hundreds of thousands of people projected to lose their jobs as a result.

I don't put my political opinions in this blog, but I feel the need to do it just this one time. I'd like to give out a "You're a Self-Serving Jackass" award to the following people who led the opposition to the automakers' bailout: Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Bob Corker, Senator Richard Shelby, and even native Michigander Mitt Romney. How many billions of dollars are we spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, and you won't even give a $14 billion LOAN to an industry which supports millions of American jobs? Shame on all of you.

Whew! It's nice to get that off my chest. Now back to celebrity plastic surgery. Tomorrow we will focus on Nicole Kidman's forehead...

Friday, December 19, 2008

Scarlett Johansson has been placed onto many Hollywood's most attractive women lists. Some people have speculated that she may have breast implants. This photo from Hollywood Tuna is as good proof as any that her chest is completely natural. While she may have had a rhinoplasty, I doubt she's had a breast augmentation. Overall she looks very glamorous and is only looking better with time.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

There is an interesting post of Dr. Rob Oliver's Plastic Surgery 101 blog regarding the upcoming product from Allergan, makers of Botox and Natrelle breast implants. The product is called Latisse, and its function is to make eyelashes fuller, longer, and even darker. Peak sales are estimated to become $500 million.

I was interviewed about this product months and months ago to test doctor and patient interest. I didn't think that patients would be that interested in this product, but after talking to several women (including my office employees), I think I was wrong. After it obtains FDA approval we'll see how popular it gets.

Monday, December 15, 2008

In a recent interview, actress Demi Moore addressed the rumors that she's had $3 million worth of plastic surgery:

Do you get irritated by all the rumours suggesting you paid $3 million for surgical procedures on your face and body?“Yes, it’s irritating - and it’s also not true. But to fight it feels futile because it just perpetuates the myth. The truth is I have no problem with enhancing one’s looks or fixing something that’s changed. It’s always an option, but I can’t see me ever getting something like that done.”

Now, in my opinion she looks fantastic. While I do think she is a natural beauty, I also believe she's likely had some work done. Three million dollars worth though? That's ludicrous.

A successful plastic surgery practice grosses about a million dollars a year. That means that Demi would have to have undergone three years worth of plastic surgery by a single plastic surgeon to cover the three million dollars worth she's rumored to have had. If each procedure roughly costs ten grand, then that would mean she would have had 300 surgeries! Not even Jocelyn Wildenstein can claim that!

Friday, December 12, 2008

According to the Daily Mail, Victoria Beckham has commented on why her breasts look so round and grapefruit-like:

'I know how a dress should sit. I've worn so many in the past and when I see the photographs I think, crikey, my boobs are up round my neck again, because the corsets are too short and not cut high enough'.

She's made millions on that look, but it's nice to see that she has figured out it is no longer working for her. Crikey! She isn't a Spice Girl anymore!

To check out MY explanation of why her breasts look excessively round (hint: it's not due to a corset!), click here.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

I was interviewed recently for an article on MSNBC.com focusing on the procedures morticians are asked to do nowadays to make people look as good as possible after they die. Apparently they perform some pretty complex plastic surgery-like procedures to make people look even younger than they did when they passed on. Here's my quote from the article:

“Society is unfortunately getting more and more vain as time goes on,” says Youn. “Fifty years ago, no one would have thought about how good they’re going to look when they die, but now that’s probably something the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ talk about. If they die, they want to look good in their casket. It’ll be one last time to show off their new outfit and their plumped lips.”

It's funny, my next door neighbor, Dave Temrowski (also quoted in the article) is a prominent mortician in this area, and while we've talked about our occupations at length, we never really saw the similarity in what we do. In fact, I probably learned more by talking with the journalist than she did in talking with me!

Monday, December 08, 2008

According to a magazine, Jamie-Lynn Spears may have undergone liposuction while she was pregnant.

"She didn't know she was pregnant when she filled out the health questionnaire prior to the procedure," a second source reveals. "Her mom approved the injections and went through tons of red tape to get the clinic to administer them to an underage patient."

Every operating center I've ever worked out of administers a pregnancy test to every female prior to plastic surgery. If the test comes back positive, nearly all of the patients will claim that it is "impossible" that they are pregnant. We then repeat the test, which always comes back positive again, and finally cancel the surgery.

Having to cancel the surgery is a bummer for me, but at least I get to go out for a long breakfast and read the paper.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Yet another cosmetic company bites the dust. Artes Medical, makers of the permanent filler Artefill, has filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and may be forced to liquidate its assets. The websites for both Artes and Artefill are already shut down. This announcement follows the recent bankruptcy by Rhytec, Inc., makers of Portrait. Should the economy continue in recession, I foresee more companies in the plastic surgery market going belly-up in the future. I would expect that many of the laser manufacturers (there are dozens of them) are having trouble with the recent credit crunch combined with the high cost of these machines (often in the 6 digits). These may be the next companies to make news due to economic woes.

I've never used Artefill, since I am very wary of permanent fillers. Liquid silicone has been the most used permanent filler and has produced some disastrous results. In addition, the face changes as it ages. Who's to say that a filler injected at the age of 40 will still look good at the age of 50? Plus, if the patient doesn't like how it looks, the only remedy for the permanent filler is to cut it out. That's no fun.

Maybe they should change the slogan of Artefill to "the First to Not Last!"

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

How much does it cost to buy the US's top breast implant manufacturer? Johnson and Johnson recently acquired breast implant manufacturer, Mentor Corp, for a reported $1.07 billion. For those of you who hold stock in this company (like me, albeit not a whole lot), the purchase has caused the stock to skyrocket in price nearly 90%. What does this mean for the plastic surgeon and the plastic surgery patient?

Probably not much. J & J has been promoting their new dermal filler Evolence, which competes with Juvederm from Allergan (the other breast implant manufacturer). Mentor is currently working on PurTox as a competitor to Botox, but it likely won't be FDA approved for another year or two. I almost exclusively use Mentor breast implants, and have had a good relationship with the company. I hope that the J & J purchase doesn't affect how the company does business with its doctors and patients. I doubt that it will, but time will tell.

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